Your Right to Know

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration censored government files or outright denied access to
them more often than ever last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new
analysis of data by the Associated Press.

The administration cited more legal exceptions it said justified withholding materials and
refused a record number of times to quickly turn over files that might be newsworthy. Most agencies
also took longer to answer records requests, the analysis found.

The government’s own figures from 99 federal agencies covering six years show that halfway
through its second term, the administration has made few meaningful improvements in the way it
releases records despite its promises to become the most transparent administration in history.

The government cited national security to withhold information a record 8,496 times — a 57
percent increase over a year earlier and more than double Obama’s first year, when it cited that
reason 3,658 times. The Defense Department, including the National Security Agency, and the CIA
accounted for nearly all those. The Agriculture Department’s Farm Service Agency cited national
security six times, the Environmental Protection Agency twice and the National Park Service
once.

And five years after Obama directed agencies to less frequently invoke a “deliberative process”
exception to withhold materials describing decision-making behind the scenes, the government did it
anyway, a record 81,752 times.

Citizens, journalists, businesses and others last year made a record 704,394 requests for
information, an 8 percent increase over the previous year. The government responded to 678,391
requests, an increase of 2 percent over the previous year. The AP analysis showed that the
government more than ever censored materials it turned over or fully denied access to them, in
244,675 cases or 36 percent of all requests. On 196,034 other occasions, the government said it
couldn’t find records, a person refused to pay for copies or the government determined the request
to be unreasonable or improper.